Improvement in self-tamping torpedoes



No. 137,196. PatentedMarch25,1873.

A PHoro-mwasRAPH/ccauflasaomvsmoczssg) NITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-TAMPING TORPEDOE$.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 3'7, 196, dated March 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MoNTRosE GOTHAM, of Oil City, county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedoes for Oil-Wells, of which the following is a specification:

The nature of my invention relates to an improvement in torpedoes for blasting in oilwells, mines, or tunnels; and consists in a plug, to which the cartridge is attached, and which has a diamond-shaped cone upon its top, which fits. between two sliding weights or blocks so that when the torpedo is exploded the plug, being forced upward, causes the block to spread outward against the walls of the well, and thus prevents the plug from being driven upward, and causes the whole force of the blast to be exerted upon the adjacent walls, so as to open the fissures and make the oil flow more freely.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my inventlOll. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

arepresents an iron plug, having the torpedo b secured to its lower end, and a cone, 0, upon its top extending upward from its center, and side wedges 0 upon opposite sides of the central cone. Passing down over the top of these cones are two solid iron blocks, 9, attached to the plug by means of the guides or rods 13 'i, and which are held in position by means of the cord 0. Through the center of the cone 0 is an opening, in which is placed the cartridge for exploding the torpedo, and which may be fired either by dropping aweight upon the plunger 1, or by electricity, or by any other suitable means. 7

The operation is as follows: The whole device, having the cartridge secured to its lower end, is lowered into position by means of the cord 0 attached to the blocks g, the blocks being held up from the plug a as far as the guides or bar twill allow by means of cords 0,

thus keeping the wedges o e suspended beneath the blocks 9 g. The charge is then fired in any suitable manner, and, as it exerts its force on the bottom of the plugs, it is forced upward, causing the cones to spread the blocks 9 outward against the sides of the walls of the well, and thus completely fill up the whole space, and prevent it from rising any further. The charge having thus no means of escaping upward is compelled to exert its whole force on the surrounding walls of the well, and, in shattering them, opens the fissures and cavities, so that the oil will flow more freely.

The central cone serves more especially to expand the block g, while the side ones 0 till up the space between them as they open, so as to leave no chance for the escape upward of any part of the force of the explosion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the blocks 9 g with conical winged wedges c and rods t", arranged parallel with the sides of the wedge, so that the raising of the blocks contracts the diameter of the plug, substantially as shown and described.

2. The side wedges e a, when arranged on opposite sides of cone 0 so as to maintain an even pressure upon blocks g 9 upon the explo- I sion of the torpedo, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the cord 0 with the subjectmatter of the foregoing claims, whereby the torpedo b and wedges c are suspended, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereunto affix my signature this 15th day of March, 1873.

MONTROSE GOTHAM.

Witnesses:

W. K. DUHAMEL, ALEX. S. DAVIDSON. 

